The ties between art, fashion and luxury have always been strong, with fashion designers repeatedly taking inspiration from artists and their work. More recently, large fashion houses have started to show an inclination for art by becoming patrons, and setting up their own exhibition spaces. To name but a few there’s the new Armani/Silos space, Missoni’s latest venture the ‘Missoni, l’Arte, il Colore’ retrospective, and last year the unveiling of the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris garnered a lot of attention.

The latest project to make the headlines is the brand new Fondazione Prada. The Fondazione first saw light in 1993, but has just acquired its first permanent headquarters in Milan, having previously moved between Milan and Venice.

The new Fondazione Prada space was designed by Rem Koohlaas’s firm OMA. The architect has worked with Miuccia Prada numerous times in the past, designing stores as well as show spaces for Prada. The project consists of an old distillery, which has been renovated and expanded with the addition of new buildings. The completed Fondazione, which covers 19 000 square metres, includes exhibition spaces as well as a cinema and a ‘Haunted House’, which has been covered in leaf gold.

There’s also a café, which has caught the attention of film lovers. Called Bar Luce, it was designed by filmmaker Wes Anderson who has also previously collaborated with Prada. The interiors of Bar Luce are, unsurprisingly, reminiscent of the atmosphere in his films. Featuring a pastel colour palette, the café channels the interior design aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s, with a nod to Milanese cafés of that era.
The Fondazione’s new program boasts a range of exhibitions, including the projection of a Roman Polanski film and a permanent installation by Robert Gober.